A new study by the University of Copenhagen found during a one-week experiment that quitting Facebook leads to a happier life. Yes, the people posting on your Facebook timeline are negatively affecting your well-being.
A little more than 1,000 people participated in the study. Some of them pledged not to use Facebook for a week while the others continued using Facebook as they usually do.
Results showed that 87 percent of the group who couldn’t log onto Facebook only lasted a week without the social media site. Of the ones who did make it a week, they reported a higher level of happiness, according to Esquire.com.
Danish researcher Morten Tromholt also found that 55 percent of Facebook users were more likely to…
…feel stressed, 39 percent of Facebook users were likely to feel less happy than their friends and 4 out of 10 users felt jealous of others’ success on their timeline.
If the constant news surrounding president-elect Donald Trump isn’t enough to make you take a mental break from Facebook every once in a while, perhaps the results of this study will do the trick.
It goes without saying that the study participants who lived without Facebook also found it easier to concentrate on things and live in the moment than those constantly checking their phone for social media updates.
We’re not saying that Facebook is bad for you. It helps with a lot of day-to-day things – keeping up with friends, finding long lost friends, remembering birthdays and learning the latest dance and video challenges.
But, it’s safe to say, sometimes it’s beneficial to your mental health to take a break from social media, especially when you’re beginning to feel the early signs of stress from watching your timeline day in and day out.